AO 4 Ch 30 (Patreon)

Chapter 30

I walked through the market. Brightly colored tarps hung from each stall to get attention while people pushed their way through and children ran underfoot. It was loud enough that I could talk privately without concern for being overheard.

“Thanks for helping me get out. Since yesterday, the Estate has been stifling.” Vivi held my arm. She had claimed the closeness was necessary or we would get separated.

I thought she just wanted to hang onto me. In this position I realized she wasn’t quite as tall as I thought. The top of her head came up to my cheek.

In all the times she spent at the inn, we’d never been physically close.

All my anchors followed me. Zuri and Emlyn had taken to the nearby roofs to watch over me while Maribelle and Aurelia tried to keep up with us on the ground.

“No. I needed to get out too.”

“The stares?” Vivi asked, her tone falling.

“Yeah. I knew it would be bad, but you’d think I went around kicking puppies my whole life with the way they turn away from me every time I walk into a room.” The Aldis Estate had become quite chilly, even for the winter.

“Do you regret your choice?” She asked. Vivi’s long legs stopped us by a stall to have a more serious conversation.

“No. My grandfather was in a tight situation, tight enough that he didn’t pull my mother forward because there was no way for her to participate yesterday and come away clean for her future role of matriarch. If he wants to step back once she becomes an elder, then this would hang over her head.” I sighed.

Vivi threw herself into my chest and gave me a big hug, looking up through her nearly white hair. “I’m sorry. For everyone else, I am sorry that you have to deal with this.”

“Thanks, Vivi.” I rubbed the top of her head and squeezed her with one arm. “But it’s not needed. Unlike everyone else, this isn’t where I’ve grown up. Sure my grandfather and mother have become part of my life, but the rest of them? I don’t really feel connected at all.”

“You’ll come back right? The mercantile branch has a new group under it and the woman running it would really like to be greeted by The Arden Aldis when she visits successfully with a full purse.” Vivi refused to let me go.

“Yeah. I’ll be back. Might have to get my own place at some point or perhaps throw myself into The Enclave for some space and things to settle down.” I patted her back and she released me. “Vivi, what are your intentions?”

“I missed the business decision of a lifetime.” She swayed and played with her dress as she took up my arm again. “I’ll make it right though.” She batted her lashes at me.

“My four anchors keep me quite busy and then I’m married to Sienna.” I told her honestly.

Vivi shrugged. “Perhaps if I’d managed something before you rose from a villager to a central figure of House Aldis, I’d have a shot at marriage. We both know that your father and mother wouldn’t go for it now. Even as a successful merchant, I’m not really eligible to be your wife anymore.

“So, I’ll settle for being a concubine or a mistress.” She declared.

I choked on my own tongue. “Vivi.”

“No, don’t try and dissuade me. I’ve made my mind up. When I learned you were gone, I was truly distraught. Then fate put me back in your path. I’m going to cling to you like a barnacle every chance I get.” She squeezed my arm to her side.

“Vivi…” I had to try and get her to live a more dignified life than that of a mistress.

A small bundle of energy slammed into my legs and nearly took me out.

“Waaaah!” The kid fell down and started bawling.

I knelt down. “It’s okay little guy, didn’t see you there.” He couldn’t have been three years old, with baby fat still in his cheeks. Did they even talk at that age?

He either didn’t or couldn’t hear me over his own crying.

Time for my tried and true skill. I pulled at my lips and made a face, waggling my tongue out at him.

He stopped briefly, staring at me like I was the strange one only for the effect to wear off and he started sniffling and building back up into a cry.

Vivi knelt down next to him. “It’s okay.” She picked him up. “Where are your parents?” She held the boy who immediately melted against her shoulder.

I stood to keep people from bumping into her.

“I d-don’t know.” The boy sniffled. “She was there and then she wasn’t.” He built back up into a cry.

I didn’t know what to do, but everything told me that we needed to stop him from crying again.

Aurelia appeared a moment later, rubbing the young boy’s back. “It’s okay. Did you know I’m an anchor? We can find your mother. This guy here? He’s a mage.”

I flashed a smile at the boy, but my mind was elsewhere. How the heck was the manticore better with children than me?

“I would have thought you spoke child.” Maribelle was next to me.

“What do you mean? I’m great with kids.” I huffed. “But I don’t speak child. There weren’t a lot of children in the village. The population was aging quite a bit with everyone’s children moving to towns and cities for other opportunities.”

I watched as Vivi and Aurelia were so motherly to the child.

Both of them quickly had the sobbing child laughing and he clung to Aurelia and played with her hair. “A Virel?” He had wide eyes.

“Yeah. She’s the real deal.” I rejoined the situation with the kid.

He shrank back from me.

“You’re scared of him and not Aurelia?” Vivi playfully gasped. “He’s harmless.”

I could tell she was trying hard to make the kid not react around me, still sensitive with how I’d been treated.

“But you’re a mage.” He looked at me with big pitiful eyes.

I lifted up a clod of earth from the marketplace and quickly shaped it into a little figure of Aurelia. “Yeah, but being a mage is fun. See? I can make Aurelia here out of clay.”

“That’s really good. She even has a nose.” He pointed to the doll.

“Do dolls not normally have noses?” I frowned at him.

“None of mine do.” He told me with a straight face.

“Well, now you do.” I handed him the doll. “Let me just take my price. I reached like I was going to grab his nose and pulled away with my thumb wiggling between my fingers. “Got your nose.”

The kid panicked and grabbed for his nose before finding it and starting to laugh. “No you don’t, silly. It’s right here!” He touched his nose.

A part of me wanted to use life magic and make it disappear to really take the joke to another level, yet that was probably a level too far. “Are you sure? It’s right here.” I opened my hand. “Where’d it go?!” I made my eyes extra big.

He laughed and grabbed my fingers to shake my hand. “Silly, you don’t have my nose.”

“Guess not. Anyway, keep the doll. Aurelia is a pretty hot commodity. Many people would love a doll of her.” I smiled at him. “Want to join us in the market? We’ll find your mother.” I waved to Emlyn and Zuri on the rooftop to come down.

Both of them landed and ignored me, immediately making the little boy coo and giggle.

“What’s this?” I looked at everyone enjoying the little boy so much.

“Baby fever.” Maribelle said from the side, one hand wandering under her dress. “A little Ard. One that I can have all to myself and connect us together forever.”

Something must be in the air.

“Em, Zuri, can you see if there’s a mother looking for her child from up there?”

“Huh?” Emlyn looked away from pinching the child’s chubby cheeks. “Oh, right. Find the mother. We can do that, can’t we Zuri?”

“Who’ll watch Ard?”

“I don’t need watching more than this kid.” I frowned.

“With everything happening, we can’t let you out of our sight.” Zuri disagreed.

I huffed and raised my hand. The ground broke off from below us and lifted us into the air. “Hold onto the kid.”

He squealed with delight as we rose above the crowd.

“That’s one way to do it.” Vivi held the child in a death grip for fear of him falling.

The crowd looked up with the equal mix of awe and fear that they often did. It didn’t bother me; there was nothing personal.

The one woman who wasn’t turning to look up like everyone else stuck out like a sore thumb as she pushed through the crowd, scanning the ground.

“There she is.” I floated my little island until I was right above her.

“Henry! Henry!” She shouted, pushing people aside.

“Your name is Henry?” I asked the boy and Vivi held him so he could see his mother.

“MOMMY!” The kid screamed at the top of his little lungs.

I felt pretty confident we had found the kid’s mother.

She spun around looking for him and then he screamed again for her to look up.

The woman’s face as Vivi held him on the floating island was priceless.

Though, she had no recognition of the rest of us as I brought us all back down to street level.

People hurried to get out of the way, but didn’t move far so they could see the spectacle.

The boy wiggled out of Vivi’s arm and shot into his mother’s before we even landed.

“Henry, don’t run off like that. I’m so sorry Mr. Mage. He didn’t cause any trouble did he?” She bounced him and let him cling to her as he made incoherent noises into her shirt.

“He was fine.” I waved off any concern. “Though, it seems my anchors are a little more interested in kids than I realized.”

“Mommy! I have a Virel Anchor!” He smacked her in the face with the clay Aurelia.

“Yes, yes I see. That’s nice honey.” She didn’t stop staring at me and my anchors. “I know I’m just—“

“It’s fine.” Vivi jumped forward and hugged her and the boy. “He was such a sweet boy. Thank you for loaning him to us for a moment and we are so happy that you two reunited.” As usual, she disarmed the womanand then stepped back onto the platform as I lifted it up again.

“Think we might be done shopping for a while.” I said, seeing everyone stare at us. “At least here.”

“Ice cream?” Emlyn suggested.

“Oh. I would love some.” Vivi chimed in.

“As long as Ard doesn’t try to make his own.” Zuri added in.

“It wasn’t that bad. This stuff is too sweet I tell you.” I rolled my eyes as Emlyn started to tell the story to Vivi. “If you keep that up, I’m skipping past the ice cream place.”

My words didn’t deter Emlyn one bit and she continued exaggerating the entire story.

***

“This is so good!” Vivi kicked in excitement as she ate the ice cream. She bumped the table and a little snow fell off.

“Best place in the city.” Emlyn agreed.

I sighed and sat back not having any. My stomach wasn’t ready for it. Besides, it was too cold for ice cream for those of us who weren’t magically unaffected by the cold.

People walked past me, giving me odd glances. I had quickly become famous and well known around the city.

Only, it wasn’t for my brilliant wit or my fantastic magic.

No. They knew that I’d killed two of my house without blinking. I wondered if when they came ‘back to life’ the perception would change.

But I didn’t want that to be common knowledge either. Knowing I could bring people back would cause all sorts of headaches.

At least for now people were giving me space.

“Brooding?” Zuri asked, causing the whole table to turn to me.

“Thinking. There’s a very big difference.”

Emlyn poked my thigh with her shoe. “I thought you were going to live in the moment and not expect the worst.”

“Right now I’m just watching as everyone who walks past me looks at me like I’m a rabid dog.” I spat.

Vivi and my anchors suddenly became sombre.

“You did what you had to do.” Zuri reassured me. “There was no good option. What you did was the best way to save everyone’s lives. It’s too soon to tell the world about your abilities.”

“Someone would take advantage.” Aurelia echoed.

“Your Uncle Silver seems quite aware already, he… anyway.” I stopped going down that line of conversation. “I know what I did was the ‘right’ answer, but it doesn’t make the consequences any easier. Let’s go somewhere less public.” I was tired of people staring.

“Can’t.” Emlyn said. “We have strict orders from your mother. Public places are safer.”

I stared at her for a long moment as a silent battle of wills occurred. I had half a mind to jump on Cyam and fly out of the city.

Emlyn would clearly fight me tooth and nail on that one.

I could win, but again at what cost.

“Fine.” I sighed. “Let’s head back. I’m ready to get this all over and go kick it with Melida in a nice quiet fortress.”

“Uh huh.” Emlyn got up licking her ice cream. “Care to give us all a lift back?”

I made a platform of ice for everyone.

“Maybe you should talk to Eva when we get back.” Vivi suggested as she got on the ice.

“She didn’t want to come.” I said.

“Yeah. Well, that’s largely because she feels absolutely horrid for what you’re going through. It’s not a big leap for her to see it as her fault.” Vivi licked her ice cream while keeping it away from the big manticore coat she was wearing.

I had no idea how the tailor had made so many, but Vivi had found her own amongst the pile. She was quite assertive about having it for some reason.

As we floated up into the sky, the whole city rang out with bugles and horns blaring along the walls.

For a moment, I thought the city was under attack.

“Look there.” Zuri was the first to spot what had led to the noise. “The king has arrived.”

***

Melida flipped through the letters. “Something’s wrong.” She frowned at the third message she’d gotten from her cousin asking for mage reinforcements. “I know he’s a coward, but he shouldn’t be this incompetent.”

“His defensive line is leaking worse than a sieve.” Finley drank his tea beside her while she read the letters. He’d just gotten back from checking on one of the villages that had begun to report all the way up to Chillwind Fortress. “I confirmed several dozen attacks by mage-forged. The small groups could certainly slip around, but I don’t understand. He’s gotten six new wolf spheres to build out more trenches to slow down anyone trying to pass through.”

Melida smacked a letter. “He hasn’t brought up the debt I owe him in the last few letters. Normally he can’t go two letters without doing that. Either he’s very stressed or something is strange.”

“It’s his writing.” Finley started to reach for the letter and paused.

She waved him to continue.

The anchor was a skilled politician and intelligence officer.

He held the letter up and looked at it from several angles. “It’s his writing. Perhaps he’s having more trouble than we thought? We could send down someone to check it out.”

“No. This level of incompetence deserves a visit from The Old Man.” She blew out a harsh breath.

“Don’t call him that.” Finley scolded her.

“Ard does.” Melida shot back.

“Yes, well a young, untrained, four sphere mage has different levels of leniency placed upon his interactions than an officer and trained mage of house Trevis.”

“I have two spheres.” Melida shot back.

“Sadly two short of the qualifications.” Finley put on a dour expression and folded his hands in front of him like a butler telling someone they couldn’t enter.

“I’m practicing for when Ard comes here. It shouldn’t be long. He should be leaving the city in a day or two.” She glanced off west towards the Capital. “The Elder Trial will change everything.”

“Yes. Even your grandfather is holding his breath. He’s shifted back from the front lines.” Finley sighed. “No matter which side wins, chaos will ensue for the kingdom. A change of power is rarely smooth. The king is likely heading back to secure his seat from her should she win.”

“She won’t win.” Melida said. “I think the King is there to secure her life. Grandfather has stepped back from the front lines to rush to aid the Enclave faction if needed.”

“How can you be sure she won’t win?” Finley tilted his head.

“Because House Aldis has been extremely cautious for quite a while. There’s no way Anadonis would risk Gwen if he didn’t have some confidence. Besides, Ard’s in the city. If there’s anyone that can pull off a miracle, he’s in the right spot.”

Finley hummed. “We will know shortly. The letters from the main house will fly out the second a side wins. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tabby has the various letters written and in two piles, ready for the result.”

“She probably does.” Melida agreed. “Probably even has the runners lined up and ready to rush out of the city.”

“Communication is the key to war.” Finley intoned the old woman’s philosophy.

“She’s not wrong.” Melida’s attention shifted back to her cousin’s letter. “Send out two teams of ten to see if we can’t catch these mage-forged causing trouble. I want Rick leading one group. You pick the other. Two charged up anchors and seven guards, the more familiar they are with the territory the better. We can’t leave the fort, and everyone’s too busy holding their breath.” She pulled out a paper and grumbled to herself. “All we do is freeze and gossip up here.”